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Are
you ready to have a microchip implanted into your brain? That might not sound
very appealing to you at this point, but this is exactly what the big
pharmaceutical companies and the big technology companies have planned for our
future.
They
are pumping millions of dollars into researching "cutting edge"
technologies that will enable implantable microchips to greatly
"enhance" our health and our lives. Of course nobody is going to
force you to have a microchip implanted into your brain when they are first
introduced.
Initially,
brain implants will be marketed as "revolutionary breakthroughs" that
can cure chronic diseases and that can enable the disabled to live normal
lives. When the "benefits" of such technology are demonstrated to the
general public, soon most people will want to become "super-abled".
Just imagine the hype that will surround these implants when people discover
that you can get rid of your extra weight in a matter of days or that you can
download an entire college course into your memory in just a matter of hours.
The
possibilities for this kind of technology are endless, and it is just a matter
of time before having microchips implanted into your brain is considered to be
quite common. What was once science fiction is rapidly becoming reality, and it
is going to change the world forever.
But
aren't there some very serious potential downsides to having microchips
implanted into our brains?
Of
course there are.
Unfortunately,
this technology is not as far off as you might think, and most people are not
even talking about what the negative consequences might be.
According
to a recent article in the Financial Times, the pharmaceutical company of the
future will include a "bioelectronics" business that "treats
disease through electrical signalling in the brain and elsewhere."
Diseases
such as diabetes and epilepsy and conditions such as obesity and depression
will be will be treated "through electronic implants into the brain rather
than pills or injections."
These
implants will send electrical signals to cells and organs that are
"malfunctioning". People will be totally "cured" without
ever having to pop a pill or go under the knife.
It
sounds too good to be true, right?
Well,
the Financial Times says that British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is
working very hard to develop these kinds of technologies. Moncef Slaoui, the
head of research and development at GlaxoSmithKline, says that the
"challenge is to integrate the work – in brain-computer interfaces,
materials science, nanotechnology, micro-power generation – to provide
therapeutic benefit."
If
a brain implant could cure a disease that you have been suffering from your
whole life would you take it?
A
lot of people are going to be faced with that kind of a decision in future
years.
And
this kind of technology is advancing very rapidly. In fact, some researchers
have already had success treating certain diseases by implanting microchips
into the brains of rats. The following is from a recent Mashable article....
Stroke
and Parkinson’s Disease patients may benefit from a controversial experiment
that implanted microchips into lab rats. Scientists say the tests produced
effective results in brain damage research.
Rats
showed motor function in formerly damaged gray matter after a neural microchip
was implanted under the rat’s skull and electrodes were transferred to the
rat’s brain. Without the microchip, rats with damaged brain tissue did not have
motor function. Both strokes and Parkinson’s can cause permanent neurological
damage to brain tissue, so this scientific research brings hope.
In
addition, the U.S. government has been working on implantable microchips that
would monitor the health of our soldiers and enhance their abilities in the
field.
So
this technology is definitely coming.
But
it must be very complicated to get a microchip implanted into your brain,
right?
Actually
it is fairly simple.
According
to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the typical procedure is very quick
and it often only requires just an overnight stay in the hospital....
Neural
implants, also called brain implants, are medical devices designed to be placed
under the skull, on the surface of the brain. Often as small as an aspirin,
implants use thin metal electrodes to "listen" to brain activity and
in some cases to stimulate activity in the brain. Attuned to the activity
between neurons, a neural implant can essentially "listen" to your
brain activity and then "talk" directly to your brain.
If
that prospect makes you queasy, you may be surprised to learn that the
installation of a neural implant is relatively simple and fast. Under
anesthesia, an incision is made in the scalp, a hole is drilled in the skull,
and the device is placed on the surface of the brain. Diagnostic communication
with the device can take place wirelessly. When it is not an outpatient
procedure, patients typically require only an overnight stay at the hospital.
But
is it really safe to have a device implanted into your head that can
"talk" directly to your brain?
Many
large corporations are banking on the fact that in a world that is always
hungry for new technology that most people will not be bothered by such things.
For
example, Intel is working on sensors that will be implanted in the brain that
will be able to directly control computers and cell phones. The following is an
excerpt from a Computer World UK article....
By
the year 2020, you won't need a keyboard and mouse to control your computer,
say Intel researchers. Instead, users will open documents and surf the web
using nothing more than their brain waves.
Scientists
at Intel's research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and
harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television
sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed
sensors implanted in people's brains.
The
scientists say the plan is not a scene from a sci-fi movie, Big Brother won't
be planting chips in your brain against your will. Researchers expect that
consumers will want the freedom they will gain by using the implant.
Once
again, this is not something that will be forced on you against your will.
These
big corporations are banking on the fact that a lot of people will want to get
these brain implants.
Even
now, some video game makers are developing headsets that allow users to play
games using their brain waves rather than a joystick or a control pad.
Other
companies want to make it possible to directly connect your brain to the
Internet.
As
I have written about previously, IBM is aggressively working to develop this
kind of technology. The following is from a recent IBM press release....
IBM
scientists are among those researching how to link your brain to your devices,
such as a computer or a smartphone. If you just need to think about calling
someone, it happens. Or you can control the cursor on a computer screen just by
thinking about where you want to move it.
Scientists
in the field of bioinformatics have designed headsets with advanced sensors to
read electrical brain activity that can recognize facial expressions,
excitement and concentration levels, and thoughts of a person without them
physically taking any actions.
The
potential "benefits" of such technology are almost beyond
imagination. An article on the website of the Science Channel put it this
way....
If
you could pump data directly into your gray matter at, say, 50 mbps — the top
speed offered by one major U.S. internet service provider — you’d be able to
read a 500-page book in just under two-tenths of a second.
How
would the world change if you could download a lifetime of learning directly
into your brain in a matter of weeks?
The
possibilities are endless.
But
so is the potential for abuse.
Implantable
microchips that can "talk" directly to the brain would give a
tyrannical government the ultimate form of control.
If
you could download thoughts and feelings directly into the brains of your
citizens, you could achieve total control and never have to worry that they
would turn on you.
In
fact, you could potentially program these chips to make your citizens feel good
all the time. You could have these chips produce a "natural high"
that never ends. That would make your citizens incredibly dependent on the
chips and they would never want to give them up.
This
kind of technology has the potential to be one of the greatest threats to
liberty and freedom in the history of mankind.
At
first these implantable microchips will be sold to us as one of the greatest
"breakthroughs" ever, but in the end they could end up totally
enslaving us.
So
I will never be taking any kind of a brain implant, and I hope that you will
not either.
(activist post)